Kalani Sitake flirted with the idea of leaving what he’s described again and again over the years as his dream job, his alma mater. Yet, in the end, the pull from one of college football’s blue bloods wasn’t enough to get him out of Provo. On Tuesday, the school announced that Sitake and BYU agreed to a long-term contract extension.
Penn State has been searching for a replacement for former coach James Franklin, who was fired in October. They showed strong interest in Sitake, but BYU was able to convince the face of the program to stay put.
“He is a proven leader, and we are grateful he is once again choosing BYU,” director of athletics Brian Santiago said in a statement Tuesday. “His legacy of building a championship program the BYU way will continue on. He is one of the best people in the business. We are excited to continue to ride the wave of positive momentum with him.”
The decision puts to rest what was the start of an angsty week in Provo as the No. 11-ranked Cougars are set to face No. 5 Texas Tech in the Big 12 championship game Saturday in Arlington, Texas. The Cougars’ lone loss this season came to the Red Raiders in Lubbock on Nov. 8. BYU likely needs to beat Texas Tech to guarantee a spot in this year’s College Football Playoff. A second loss to a top-five team would potentially leave the Cougars out as an at-large team, as they’re currently sandwiched in the middle of a pack of teams with fellow at-large aspirations.
Sitake has led his alma mater since 2016. Since taking over, he has guided the No. 11-ranked Cougars to four double-digit-win seasons, including three 11-win campaigns, counting this year. Upon joining the Big 12 in 2023 after 12 years as an FBS independent, BYU has gone 22-3 in the last two seasons.
“I am humbled and full of gratitude for the outpouring of love from BYU fans and the trust and support provided to our football program by our university leadership,” Sitake said in a statement Tuesday.
When Sitake spoke with The Athletic in the fall about his approach to leadership, he was also asked about his name being brought up annually in coaching search rumors. He said attention can be viewed as a good thing — more attention generally means your program is winning and garnering more eyeballs nationwide.
“If anything’s going to take me away from this, it’s got to be super special knowing what this place is all about and the amount of work and investment I’ve put into it,” he said. “I also know that if we’re going to accomplish a lot of things, the last thing we’re going to do is about one person. If this program is never going to be about one player, then it definitely will never be about one coach.”
His humble disposition has only further endeared him to a fan base that was waiting for a return to national prominence after over a decade as an independent. At BYU, Sitake has turned the program’s recruiting options from dire under the former head coaching regime into a plus. According to 247Sports’ Big 12 composite recruiting rankings for the 2026 class, the Cougars are second behind Texas Tech. They’ve secured the commitment of five-star quarterback Ryder Lyons (Folsom, Calif.), who will serve a church mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Sitake has often voiced his attempts to follow in the footsteps of two of his football mentors: legendary BYU head coach LaVell Edwards and Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, whom Sitake worked under for 10 years. Edwards and Whittingham were offered hefty pay raises at other schools or franchises during their time as head coaches at their respective schools.
Sitake said in October that he has faced questions about his tenure in Provo on the recruiting trail, and that he’s heard prospects mention that competing schools say he’s not long for BYU.
“People will be like, ‘Oh, he won’t be around when you get there,’ and I’m like, ‘Dude, this is 10 years I’ve been here,’” he said. “I love it here. This is home.”
